Method for opening plastics-foil wrapped packages

ABSTRACT

Uniform articles, such as glass bottles and jars, are often for transportation formed into packages which are wrapped in a thermo-shrinking plastic foil. Such foil is very strong and the opening of such packages have proven to be a very tedious operation. When large quantities of such packages are to be handled the opening must be performed automatically in a machine and to that end the packages must be of uniform size and shape. Even if the foil is very strong it often happens during the shrinking operation, or later during transportation, that the basically parallel-epiped package is deformed, which means that the individual articles are interlocked still harder and the removal of the wrapper made more difficult. The invention proposes the injection of a suitable lubricant in finely divided state into the package prior to the removal of the wrapper. It will then be remarkably easy to rearrange the articles within the package and to peel off the wrapper therefrom.

United States Patent [191- Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz AssistantExaminer-.lohn Sipos AttorneyHolman & Stern STATION Wiking 51 Apr. 17,1973 METHOD FOR OPENING PLASTICS- [57] ABSTRACT FOIL WRAPPED PACKAGESUniform articles, such as glass bottles and jars, are

[76] Inventor: Lars Wiking, Taubeyatan 5, often for transportationformed into packages which Goteborg, Sweden are wrapped in athermo-shrinking plastic foil. Such [22] Filed: Aug 17, 1971 foil isvery strong and the opening of such packages have proven to be a verytedious operation. When [21] Appl 172,423 large quantities of suchpackages are to be handled the opening must be performed automaticallyin a [52] US. CL. ..53/3 m in n to h n he p k ges m s e of [51] Int. Cl...B65b 69/00 uniform size and shape. Even if the foil is very strong[58] Field of Search ..53/3; 206/246 PV, it often happens during theshrinking operation, or

2 6/65 5 later during transportation, that the basically parallelepipedpackage is deformed, which means that the in- References Cited dividualarticles are interlocked still harder and the UNITED STATES PATENTS Iremoval of the wrapper made more difficult. The invention proposes thein ection of a suitable lubricant 3,349,900 10/1967 Jones et al...206/62 R i fi l di id d state into the package prior to the removal ofthe wrapper. It will then be remarkably easy to rearrange the articleswithin the package and to peel off the wrapper therefrom.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ME non FOR OPENING PLASTICS-FOIL WRAPPEDPACKAGES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention refers to amethod for facilitating the opening of packages consisting of a wrapperof thermo-shrinking plastic-foil enclosing a number of articles formedinto a transport unit having a basically parallelepiped form, withinwhich the individual articles are strongly maintained in their relativeposition due to the pressure thereon of the shrunken foil.

Glass bottles and jars are often at the glassworks formed into suchtransport units, which due to the strength of the foil areself-supporting. Before the foil wrapper is shrunk the bottles, or jars,are arranged into the desired shape of the unit and when the foil hasbeen shrunk they are strongly maintained in their relative position andwill usually be able to endure a rather severe handling duringtransportation. This type of transport handling has proven superior tothe former manner of handling in which the bottles were shipped in boxesor crates, but the opening of these packages is very tedious and oftenleads to damage of the articles due to the strength of the foil.

During the shrinking operation, and especially during thetransportation, it often happens that the basically straight-angled,parallel-epiped unit is deformed by the sides thereof being angularlydisplaced, or that one row of bottles is displaced in relation to theother rows whereby one side of the unit caves in and the opposite sidebends outwards. When large numbers of such units are to be handled it isimportant that the units are of uniform shape, and are parallel-epipedto make possible the handling thereof in machines. Due to the pressureof the foil upon the bottles it is practically impossible to rearrangethe bottles without an apparent risk of breaking some of them, or evento cause damage to the machine handling the units.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aim of the present invention is to providea method for diminishing the difficulties involved in the opening ofheat-shrunk, plastic foil wrapped transport units and it ischaracterized in that the foil wrapper prior to opening is punctured anda quantity of a suitable lubricant is injected in finely divided stateinto the package, thereby to reduce the friction between the articles aswell as between the latter and the surrounding foil.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGS. 1-5 illustrate schematically thesteps during the opening of a package.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The means for working the methodmay consist of a spraying apparatus of known design, operating withcompressed air, which passes through a throat or nozzle where the airdue to ejector action draws a liquid along and sprays the latter in afog-like cloud. The liquid may be a soapy water solution, or kerosene,or any other medium which when finely divided and distributed betweenadjacent surfaces diminishes the friction therebetween. On this occasionthe nozzle through to puncture the plastic foil.

The various steps during the opening of a package is schematically shownin the accompanying drawing.

A package containing a number of uniform articles, say glassbottles, areat a manufactory or plant formed into a package wrapped inheat-shrinking plastic foil. For the sake of simplicity only three rowsof three bottles each isshown, In practice the number of articles ineach package will be much greater.

During the transportation the package may have been somewhat deformed,and at a consumer it is now desired to break up a number of suchpackages in a continuous flow.

The packages 10 are placed on a conveyor belt, not shown, at station I(FIG. 1), and will at a steady flow rate pass along the belt, Eachpackage is first brought to a station II (FIG. 2), where theanti-friction medium is introduced into the package. Two pointedinjection nozzles 11 are shown, which are moved in the horizontal planeforwards and backwards in time with the conveyor. The nozzles aremounted in such a manner that they at each forward movement willpuncture the wrapper and extend into the package to a sufficient extentto facilitate the spraying of the antifriction medium within thepackage.

Although two nozzles are shown only, it is evident that the number ofsuch nozzles will have to be suited to the size of the package and thatthe nozzles may equally well move in the vertical direction, to puncturethe top and the bottom of the package. The articles are of uniform sizeand the package is governed into such a position at station II that thenozzles will not strike directly against an article, but will enter thespace between two adjacent articles.

At station III (FIG. 2) an apparatus, not shown cuts the top of thepackage open, on this occasion by making two incisions diagonally acrossthe same.

Thereafter the package is brought to station IV (FIG.

' 4), where it is rearranged to a straight-angled parallelepiped unit.Two pusher units 12, each provided with a pressure plate, are movable inthe horizontal plane forwards and backwards to act upon the longitudinalsides of the package. Similar pusher units, not shown, willsimultaneously act upon the front and the back side of the package.

The operation at station IV is by itself well known in the art and doesnot form any part of the invention. The remarkable thing is, however,that the injection of the anti-friction medium into the still closedpackage at station lLwhich is the essential part of the invention,permits the re-arrangement of the articles within the package with suchcase and without any risk of breakage of the articles. Even if the topof the package is cut open all four sides are still intact and thelateral pressure of the shrunk foil upon the bottles, is stillmaintained.

. The re-formed package is then brought to station V (FIG. 5) where thefoil wrapper is peeled off by any suitable machine, not shown, whichhowever, preferably contains a frame having the same internal measure asthe group of articles. This frame is pushed downwards over the package,squeezing the foil downwards. The peeling-off is of course also madeeasier as the surfaces between the outermost articles and thewrapper'has been lubricated. The bottles are then gripped by anysuitable machine and lifted free of the demolished wrapper.

The operation schematically shown in the drawing may be rearranged andmade to include further steps to adapt the procedure to various needsand types of articles. The procedure is illustrated only to give a frameto the important step, namely the injection of the antifriction mediumat station II.

What .I claim is:

1. In a method for facilitating the operating of a package consisting ofa wrapper of thermo-shrinking plastic foil enclosing a number ofarticles formed into a transport unit having a basically parallel-epipedform, within which the individual articles are strongly maintained intheir relative position' due to the pressure thereon of the shrunkenfoil, the improvement of puncturing the foil at least at one point andinjecting into the package a quantity of lubricant to reduce thefriction between the articles as well as between the latter and thesurrounding foil.

2. The method according ,toclaim l, in which the lubricant is liquid andis injected into the package in a finely divided state carried bycompressed air.

3. The method according to claim 2, in which the lubricant is a soapywater solution.

4. The method according to claim 2, in which the lubricant is kerosene.

5. The method according'to claim 1, in which the package, after theinjection of lubricant is re-formed to a parallel-epiped unit and thewrapper thereafter is peeled ofi.

1. In a method for facilitating the operating of a package consisting ofa wrapper of thermo-shrinking plastic foil enclosing a number ofarticles formed into a transport unit having a basically parallel-epipedform, within which the individual articles are strongly maintained intheir relative position due to the pressure thereon of the shrunkenfoil, the improvement of puncturing the foil at least at one point andinjecting into the package a quantity of lubricant to reduce thefriction between the articles as well as between the latter and thesurrounding foil.
 2. The method according to claim 1, in which thelubricant is liquid and is injected into the package in a finely dividedstate carried by compressed air.
 3. The method according to claim 2, inwhich the lubricant is a soapy water solution.
 4. The method accordingto claim 2, in which the lubricant is kerosene.
 5. The method accordingto claim 1, in which the package, after the injection of lubricant isre-formed to a parallel-epiped unit and the wrapper thereafter is peeledoff.